The Color of Courage
by That One Evil Writer
Summary: A Tragedy forces the Alpha Rovers to revaluate themselves, while Shag goes on a journey between life... and death.
1. Prologue Disaster

**Disclaimer:** Lord Death and Lady Dread are mine; everything else is the Property of Warner Brothers. No money is being made and all that jazz.

**Author's Notes - **This Story (and in particular this prologue) is dedicated to those lives lost in Japan's Tsunami disaster, as well as those lives lost in Haiti's Earthquake.

**Historian's Notes - **This is an alternative Universe fic from my Strikeverse fics. In this universe, this story occurs where "The Rover Within" would've occurred instead.

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><p><strong>The Color of Courage<strong>

**By That One Evil Writer**

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><p><strong>Prologue: Disaster<strong>

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><p>It was a nice sun shiny day. Birds were singing and there's seemingly not a care to be had in the world… which could extremely easily change if things unfold the ways that two villains want them to unfold… which is way the core members of the Alpha Rovers team are situated in front of a Nuclear Power Plant.<p>

Hunter glances up at the plant before looking at Exile. "Just as a check up, how bad are we talking here if this plant goes?"

Exile looks grim as he explains, "Very bad. If it goes upski, L.A. goes bye-bye, and several towns go up with it... and that's the good newsski."

Blitz looks at Exile in askance; the death of everyone in a heavily populated area… and _that _is good news? "_Good_ news?"

Exile nods. "Dah. The very bad thing is if the radiation get up in the jetstream, then... at the very least 86% of the world's population would be _glowing in the darkski."_

For a moment after that particular pronouncement, every single Rover looked particular unnerved, before Colleen dryly commented, "...yes, that would be _VERY_ bad."

"Dah. I can disarm it, however." Exile smiled a bit.

Shag nodded a bit. "So we'll keep the _good_ Lord and Lady off your tail, Exile so you can do your thing."

"That's a dah."

"Then let's pick up the trail." With this call out coming from Hunter, the Rovers approached the plant with caution.

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><p>The Rovers moved swiftly through the building zeroing in their target, with thanks to a map that Greta had found. She glanced down at the map for a moment and nodded. "The rods are nearby... so; it seems the bomb should be in this area."<p>

Sport smiled. "Then let's get a move on!"

The other Rovers nodded and they all moved right along. As they do, thing became more and more disturbingly… _quiet._ Which put the nerves of the Rovers right on the edge. An sudden shifting of… _something_ was the only thing to swiftly alert Sport that something was not right… that and Sport's cry of "WHOA!" directed their attention to the far right where a magickal blast came from - a blast that if Sport wasn't quick he would've been one dead Rover - to spot their foes: Lord Death and Lady Dread.

Shaking his head, Lord Death smirked. "I'm afraid we don't want you to do that."

Lady Dread smiled rather primly as she wielded a dagger in her cybernetic hand. "Yes, we rather want to have our army of the undead."

Swiftly, the Rovers get into their individual fighting stances; but just as Exile's eyes are to glow, Hunter shakes his head at the Husky. "We got this." Hunter looks around at the other Rovers who nodded determinedly, before locking eyes with Exile. "Exile, get to the bomb and _disarm_ it!"

Exile nodded. "You got itski!"

There was a brief sigh and mock sad look on Lord Death's muzzle, as he shakes his head. "Poor, poor Hunter. Ah well... if that's the way you want it... FOX MUTANTS!" A number of Fox-Mutants appeared. A dark grin appeared on Death's face as he continued, "Give these fools a _warm_ welcome, eh?"

As the Mutants and the Rovers collided into a full force chaotic fury of action, Death smiled thinly as he spies Exile trying to leave in order to find the bomb. "As for the Husky..." Death shared a loving glance with his lifemate (of doom) and mused thoughtfully. "Why don't you play with him for a bit, my love? It would be quite... _entertaining_."

An devious grin is Lady Dread's answer, just before she dashes off… and just as Exile was about to leave, Dread swings - and Exile had to swiftly leap backwards in order to avoid being skewered by Dread's dagger.

Exile growled. "NYET!" He eyed Dread wearily and annoyed; time's running out and she's preventing him from doing his job. _I do not need thisski! Not now!_

Another dagger comes out of Lady Dread's pocket as she smiled sweetly at Exile. "Hello, Sanhusky."

Exile's eyes glows blue as a grim look crosses his muzzle. "Time to cool you off, psycho bulldog."

Lady Dread evaded the first few ice eyebeams with some ease, and the bulldog bitch issued forth an unlady-like snort. "I think not."

Exile continue trying to blast Dread with his ice eyebeams, until Dread considered the better part of valor (such as it is) and entered the battlefield covered by the other Rovers and the fox mutants. Exile inaudibly sighed and thinly smiled. _Good, she's goneski, now get to the bombski..._

Of course, the husky might've thought that a little too soon. For as soon as he approached the doorway, another magickal blast missed him by mere inches and struck the doorway forcing Exile away from the door and down. By the time Exile got on his feetpaws, Lord Death smirked. "Oh, were you about to go somewhere, little husky?"

Lord Death did not allow Exile to answer him; he swiftly fired some more magickal bolts, forcing Exile further away from the doorway (and the bomb) as far as possible.

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><p>However, a Rover did manage to get into the room where they suspect the bomb to be. Shag briefly sighed and bristled with some inner rage. <em>Of, course, they would let be by. I am the fifth one outta of five... <em>Annoyance warred with Shag's usual good natured soul before sighing. And begins his search as he is the only one that could do so…

Soon the Komondor stumbled across a black case. Taking a deep breath, Shag very, very, VERY carefully unlatched it and opened it up - and gasped at the bomb hidden within. _There it is. _Lifting his head up he called out as loud as possible, "EXILE! I FOUND IT!"

From the other room, brief growl and a snarl answered him (as well as a painful grunt) before the Siberian Husky answered Shag, "Goodski! Stay here! I'm comingski!"

Glancing back down at the bomb, Shag sees something that made go even whiter than usual: the timer. It reads two forty-three… and that given that forty-three have swiftly gotten to thirty-nine even as he watched… meant that there was _only _two minutes left to disarm it.

_Oh Scat _Shag glances back the way of the doorway, issuing forth frantic shout: "HURRY!"

All the while… the timer continues to count on down…

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><p>(<strong>Author's Notes:<strong> Just a simple opening prologue from all concerned. The only thing is Shag's thought and opinion about being the fifth Rover… which comes from Master's little comment of "4 out of 5" which of course hails from _"Let's Hit the Road" _the pilot/première episode. Other than that, please read & review. Thanks.)


	2. Chapter 1 Shag's Choice

**Disclaimer: **The W.B. not me. That is all.

_(This chapter's Shag's POV. Also for Shag fans (since I hope I'm not the only one…) um… *waves white flag* please don't kill me for what happens to Shag…)_

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><p><strong>Chapter One: Shag's Choice<strong>

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><p>Two minutes and fifteen seconds…<p>

Two minutes and fourteen seconds…

Two minutes and thirteen seconds…

Shag shifts about eyeing the bomb's timer and looking back at the doorway with every passing second. But the din of battle has not ceased… and Shag's ears pick up the harsh growls of the various Rovers… and most importantly of Exile being constantly blocked from joining Shag at where the bomb is. _Come on, Exile! Time is running out!_

But, apparently, _they _won't let up on Exile… or let him by… by the sounds of Exile's pained cries and sounds of dark laughter coming from Death and Dread. Shag growled inwardly, _They won't let Exile go until it's all but too late to stop the bomb... _And, if he goes back out to help, there's very little chance that they'll made the same mistake twice, and would, instead, block him from going back to the bomb until it was too late for him to do anything. Shag sighs and rubs a paw through his headfur. _Which means... it's all up to me... but what can __**I**__ do?_

Frowning darkly, Shag thinks… but comes up with nothing… he knows nothing about disarming bombs… and even attempting to do so, may make it blow up in his face. The Komondor's other skills will not be of much use in this given situation. Shag almost considered pounding his fists against his skull if it would get an idea into his head. _THINK__ Shag! _The Komondor scowled to himself, _There's has to be something you can do! __**Anything!**_

Muttering to himself under his breath, Shag came upon the solution (and he would've pounded his skull for not realizing it sooner). _My powers... _Specifically, the powers of which has been dubbed "The Extradimensional Fur Storage" which Shag could place the bomb within it and let it explode there. While it wouldn't hurt Shag (or so he hoped) the bomb oughta be displaced by the EDFS that its destruction wouldn't cause the plant to go up.

Nodding to himself, Shag moved to pick up the bomb… and found, to his consternation, the bomb, even with his exceptional strength cannot be moved. _**NO!**__ It...Won't...budge!_ No matter whether Shag tries… budging it, lifting it, pushing it or pulling it… the bomb is _stuck. _Scowling darkly, Shag mused. _Magick. Death must've magick it so it can only be moved by him or by Dread. _Sitting down on his haunches, Shag glanced at the time - a minute and ten seconds left - and sighed audibly. _Now what?_

Frowning thoughtfully, another idea came to Shag… a highly dangerous one - but given the alternative, it's one that Shag is extremely willing to try. _I could try to contain the explosion... but I'm not sure my powers would work that way... _Glancing back at the timer - twenty-five seconds left - The Komondor grimaced. _But I'm all outta options... and I'm dead either way..._

Summoning all of his courage, Shag covered up the bomb with his body and, with a will, opens his body pocket. And, with his eyes closed Shag worked with a feverish prayer, praying to any goddog who would hear him and would answer his prayer. _Please let this work... Please... I don't care if this costs me my life just as long as everybody I care about is safe... it doesn't matter! __**Please**__ work..._

Continuing the prayer all the while during the final seconds of the bomb, Shag was about redo the prayer for a fifth time, when suddenly a white blossom of complete and utter pain slammed right into him. Gasping in shock, Shag feels it - the majority of the bomb's explosion being contained in Shag's pocket… but he's hurting and hurting badly by the destruction of the bomb and the pieces of said bomb that has cut into him. And the darkness is shadowing Shag's vision making him falter. _No...Gotta...Stay...Awake... _Shag forced the darkness away… just long enough for his task to be completed… and it has. With a final sputter, the explosion has died down, the totality of it completely contained within Shag's EDFS.

His task done, Shag relaxes… and starts to succumb to the rapidly approaching darkness all the while a familiar voice cried out with a mixture of shock and horror, _**"SHAG!"**_

Someone catches Shag as he was about to collapse to the side. The Komondor glanced up to see who the Rover is (since he kinda doubt Lord Death and Lady Dread would be _that_ concerned about him) but with unconsciousness quickly approaching, Shag's vision is rather blurry. He shrugged to himself. _It's okay... the world is saved... and all I need... is a little nap, that's all..._

And with that, Shag surrenders to the darkness of unconsciousness.

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><p><strong>AN: **There's nothing more to say, save please don't kill me. *cringes* R/R!


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